The Staff Canteen Live 2026: Networking lunch at The Chalk Freehouse

Today (Monday, October 19), we hosted our latest TSC Live chef networking lunch at The Chalk Freehouse in Chelsea.

The Staff Canteen launched chef networking lunches in 2016, later incorporating front of house events from 2020. The concept is simple: bring chefs and key industry suppliers together in an environment where meaningful conversations can happen away from the pressures of service.

The Chalk Freehouse opened in Chelsea in 2025, taking the site on Tryon Street previously occupied by The Butcher's Tap & Grill. It is part of the Tom Kerridge Group. Head chef Tom De Keyser has spent more than 12 years with Tom Kerridge, including four years running the kitchen at the two-Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers in Marlow.

Today's lunch was prepared by Tom De Keyser and his team, with guests welcomed for a drinks reception before sponsor introductions and a menu built around British seasonal produce.

The guests

Today 16 chefs joined us for the lunch. They were:

Ryan Forrester, senior head chef, The Waterway, First Restaurant Group
Gary Solomon, owner, executive chef, Beast and Field
Stuart Conibear, executive head chef, Grosvenor House Suites
Lloyd Williams, executive chef, Plough Pub
Alex Lê, head chef, Lai Rai
Will Dean, head chef, The Waterway
Jai Shaikh, head chef, The Wolseley City
Tom Scade, group executive chef, Monogram Collective
Sam Mills, head chef, Three Darlings
Fran Joyce, chef owner, The Hanger Freehouse
Bruno Monteiro, senior sous chef, Arden Pubs
Tyler Jennifer, head chef, Chelsea Grill
Adam Jeffery, head pastry, Juls London
Robert Taylor, chef owner, Tallow
Rob Allcock, chef owner, The Longs Arms
Mark Dedman, senior head chef, Fulham Pier

Robert Taylor, chef owner of Tallow in Tunbridge Wells, said: "Today was about meeting chefs I've not met before. It's a really good networking event for making contacts, and everybody's really friendly.

"The way you swap sponsors around every course, you get to chat to them in depth about their products. As well as previous networking lunches I've been to, you're kind of keeping in contact with all of them, so when you need that product down the line, they're always good people to contact because they're there already and they know you.

"The Staff Canteen has always been, throughout my whole career, really supportive and beneficial."

Robert's favourite dish was the turbot, describing it at "really tasty".

Fran Joyce, chef owner of The Hanger Freehouse, said: "The Staff Canteen brings chefs together, and it's about connecting with people in your industry, talking about what's going on and sussing out how we move forward. It's a very important tool for us, and it's nice to talk to the sponsors."

Fran's favourite dish was the "absolutely beautiful" guinea fowl terrine.

The sponsors

These events would not happen without the support of our sponsors. Today's chef networking lunch was supported by: Nyetimber, Williams Refrigeration, Winterhalter, Chef Works and The Kingfish Company.

Nyetimber provided the Classic Cuvée MV for the drinks reception and the 1086 2014 served with the turbot. The Kingfish Company's fish featured as a cooked canapé and on ice at the reception. Chef Works presented head chef Tom De Keyser with a jacket for the occasion.

The lunch also gave guests the opportunity to connect directly with suppliers across sparkling wine, refrigeration, warewashing and chefwear.

Theo Morris, business development manager at Chef Works, said: "Today's mostly been about chatting to chefs outside of the kitchen. You get to actually see them not in chef whites, not in service, just themselves.

"There's always something going on when they're in the kitchen, they're either prepping, serving or getting ready for the next service, so it's nice to get them outside of that and actually have that face to face conversation. You get to move around and talk to people you wouldn't otherwise have spoken to."

Like Robert, Theo enjoyed the fish course the most.